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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

spangle.

A small, flat piece of sparkling metallic or metal-like material with a hole which is sewn on to a garment, etc., for decoration; a sequin.

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈspæŋɡəl/[ˈspæŋɡl̩]/ˈspeɪ̯ŋɡəl//ˈspɛ̃ŋɡəl/

  1. A small, flat piece of sparkling metallic or metal-like material with a hole which is sewn on to a garment, etc., for decoration; a sequin.

  2. Any small sparkling object.

  3. Any small sparkling object. A shiny particle of a mineral.

  4. Any small sparkling object. A star.

    figuratively

  5. A point of light; also (rare), a glitter, a sparkle.

    broadly

  6. A speckle or spot, especially on the body of an animal.

    broadly

  7. Any of a number of swallowtail butterflies (genus Papilio); specifically Papilio protenor.

Where this word comes from

The noun is derived from Middle English spangel (“small piece of ornamental metal, spangle; small ornament”) [and other forms], from spang (“small piece of ornamental metal, spangle; small ornament; type of bowl or cup”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Spang is derived from Middle Dutch spange, spaenge (“buckle, clasp; brooch; spangle”) (modern Dutch spang (“clasp; hook; metal hairband; metal pin”)), from Middle Low German spangel (“small chain or clasp”), from Proto-Germanic *spangō (“brooch; clasp”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁- (“to twist; to weave”). The English word is analysable as spang + -le (diminutive suffix). The verb is derived from the noun.

verb/ˈspæŋɡəl/[ˈspæŋɡl̩]/ˈspeɪ̯ŋɡəl//ˈspɛ̃ŋɡəl/

  1. To fix spangles or sparkling objects to (something); to bespangle.

    also · figuratively · transitive

  2. To adorn or decorate (something).

    figuratively · transitive

  3. To flash, glitter, or sparkle.

    intransitive
Where this word comes from

The noun is derived from Middle English spangel (“small piece of ornamental metal, spangle; small ornament”) [and other forms], from spang (“small piece of ornamental metal, spangle; small ornament; type of bowl or cup”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Spang is derived from Middle Dutch spange, spaenge (“buckle, clasp; brooch; spangle”) (modern Dutch spang (“clasp; hook; metal hairband; metal pin”)), from Middle Low German spangel (“small chain or clasp”), from Proto-Germanic *spangō (“brooch; clasp”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁- (“to twist; to weave”). The English word is analysable as spang + -le (diminutive suffix). The verb is derived from the noun.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.